Blueway designation will help, but not financially

The White River being named a National Blueway will help the White River Irrigation District's Grand Prairie project, but not financially.

Leigh Kreimeier, lkreimeier@stuttgartdailyleader.com

Earlier this year it was announced that the White River and its watershed would be considered the nation's second National Blueway.

Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes said that the collaboration taking place in the White River watershed is a model of successful river conservation for the 21st century.

Although this was a grand announcement for the area it left some asking questions, mainly from the White River Irrigation District about the Grand Prairie Project — a water delivery system that hopes to provide a dependable supply of irrigation water to farms in the Grand Prairie region.

Would this announcement help or hinder?

Col. Vernie L. Reichling Jr., commander of the Army Corps of Engineers' Memphis division, was at the District's headquarters in Hazen on Tuesday and spoke briefly on this topic. The clear answer was the White River being named a National Blueway will help, but not financially. Being attached to the Blueway as a partner will give the project recognition.

"The National Blueway designation recognizes that strong, diverse partnerships are the best way to address the modern-day threats to our nation's most important rivers, and the White River is an outstanding example of that approach," Hayes said. "The river is the recreational and economic lifeblood of communities from the Ozarks to the Mississippi. River users and river lovers of all stripes have banded together to protect the White River watershed and maintain this magnificent resource for the region — and for the nation."

In May 2012, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar established the National Blueways System, a new designation for rivers and watersheds of national significance designed to promote and conserve the economic, recreational and natural values of healthy river systems from source to outlet and across watersheds.

The initiative is part of President Barack Obama's America's Great Outdoors Initiative to establish a community-driven conservation and recreation agenda for the 21st century. The designation does not establish a new protective status or regulation, but rather is intended to recognize and support existing local and regional conservation, recreation and restoration efforts by coordinating ongoing federal, state and local activities.

"Fundamental things to take away is that this project is tied to it, so the people above will see that," Reichling said. "We need your input, want you in the process. Everybody is in on it so that our partners are included, local — that is the key task. We need to make sure you are part of the process."

Reichling feels this will be a great opportunity for the Grand Prairie Project.

"There are only two in the country — this is the current administration's priorities. Even though it isn't funding, it can't hurt to be tied to it."

He said the partners at the local level can't help to be highlighted if they are tied to a river that is receiving such national significance.

Flowing for 722 miles from its headwaters in the Ozarks to its mouth at the Mississippi River, the White River drains a watershed spanning 17.8 million acres across 60 counties in two states. It is home to 1.2 million people who rely on the economic impact that recreation, tourism, agriculture and commerce along these rivers provide to watershed communities. The White River is an important part of the wildlife-related economies of Arkansas and Missouri, which statewide accounted for $1.8 billion and $2.8 billion in 2011, respectively. Public and private landowners in the watershed have already conserved more than 3.2 million acres of their land for the benefit of people and wildlife.

The White River National Blueway was nominated for this designation by 26 stakeholder groups including the National Wildlife Refuge Association, The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, The Conservation Fund, Audubon, the Arkansas Canoe Club, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the cities of Augusta and Clarendon, Ark., local businesses and federal partners from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior and the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture.

In support of the new White River National Blueway, senior leaders from supporting federal agencies announced new projects that will enhance the river's natural resources and create economic opportunities for the region.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently approved a 101,110-acre expansion to the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge — named for one of the White River's main tributaries — that will protect valuable floodplain habitat through conservation easements and acquisitions from willing landowners.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks to build on the great conservation work by our state, federal, conservation and sportsmen partners," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe said. "These partners are protecting and restoring bottomland forests across the Lower Mississippi Valley, and today's recognition formalizes something all of us already know: The White River watershed is special. We are committed to passing on to future generations the chance to hike, paddle, hunt, fish, and otherwise enjoy this exceptional watershed."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that they are moving forward with the Lower Cache River Basin Restoration Project, which will restore flows to meanders cut off by flood control work and will increase fish and wildlife habitat.

"In keeping with President Obama's commitment to the America's Great Outdoors initiative, the Corps is proud to be a part of the National Blueways initiative, which recognizes and supports stakeholder partnerships," Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy said. "The Corps' Lower Cache River Basin Restoration project is part of this effort."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that in FY 2013, working with the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts to establish priorities, it will commit more than $22 million to soil and water conservation in counties located within the White River Watershed through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

Approximately $13 million of those funds will be directed to pasture land to provide soil and water conservation needs that arose from the drought in 2012.

"This new investment in the White River watershed represents a major commitment by the USDA and by the Natural Resources Conservation Services" Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture Ann Mills said. "These new resources will make a real difference on the ground for the people of Arkansas and Missouri."

Additionally, the USDA Forest Service manages more than 1 million acres of federal forest land within the boundary of the Blueway, and is engaging in dozens of projects aimed at improving habitat within the watershed.

"We need you at the table — we need your input," Reichling told WRID group members sitting in front of him Tuesday.